Refining your No "Poo" Process and a Giveaway!!

It seems as with any natural healing process, we must all put on our scientist hat to discover the exact combination that will give us the results we are looking for. My No "Poo" or no shampoo journey has been no different. As I updated you on my previous No Poo posts, I have been using the baking soda and apple cider vinegar method for quite a while with good success. However it wasn't perfect and I have since learned some very valuable steps that has made my hair feel even better and I have had many compliments on the look and feel of my hair. So I would like to share my refined hair routine start to finish.

Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients

• I prepare about a weeks worth of baking soda and vinegar rinse at a time to save more time over the week. I first put a stock pot of tap water on to boil. This is a new step I recently learned that has made a significant difference in the feel of my hair. Instead of boiling out the water you can also use rain water or distilled water. I plan on switching to distilled water later on in the month and I will update you on, if that is different. After the water has come to a boil I let it cool for about half and hour and then I am ready to make the baking soda wash. 
•  I fill a glass measuring cup to the 2 cup line with water and add 2 TBSP of baking soda (if you have less oily hair you can reduce to 1 TBSP), stir and add to my shower container.  Your shower container can really be anything, I use a 32oz spray bottle.  Repeat until shower container is full.
• Then add Lemon Essential Oil.  I use apx. 30 drops.  Experiment with the amount.  The lemon oil will aid in cutting oil, cleaning grime and leaving a more clean feeling. 

• Next I prepare my rinse.  Take your rinse container; I use an oil floor cleaning squirt bottle and fill it 1/4 to 1/3 full of apple cider vinegar.  Then fill the container the rest of the way with your previously boiled water.
• Then add apx 30 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil.  Rosemary is wonderful for shine, body and richness of color.

Step 2: In the shower

• First I take the baking soda wash and shake the bottle then apply liberally to the roots of my hair allowing the wash to run through my hair.  I then massage the mixture all over my scalp and rinse out.  It is worth noting here I have a shower filter so my shower water is reasonably filtered.  If you don't likewise have a filter, it would be best to use distilled water to rinse your hair.  You will have the best results if the tap water never touches your hair.
• I have heard of some who at this stage rinse their hair with lemon juice.  I haven't yet added this step just because I haven't been to the store to buy the lemon juice, however to try it just fill a small spray bottle with lemon juice, spray onto hair and rinse.
• Finally I shake the vinegar rinse and pour over my hair.  I use apx. 1-1/12 cups per shower and then rinse out.
• This final rinse with water I always to in as cold of water as I can stand.  This will seal the cuticles of your hair and leave it more shiny and less prone to damage.
• As of this point I am still washing my hair every 2 days.  I am hoping by adding the lemon juice step and the distilled water, perhaps I can reduce the amount of times per week I wash.  I'll update you!

Step 3: After the shower

• After the shower I always try to let hair air dry before styling in any way. I don't even brush  or comb it until it is dry.  This will avoid breakage.
• When dry I will style and then add Argan Oil.  I bought my first argan oil at Sally's Beauty Supply, but found it was mixed with a few questionable ingredients, so I went online and purchased some pure Argan oil.  The Argan oil will smooth down any fly aways and give your hair an amazing shine.  I would consider this a luxury step as the oil is expensive, so I usually only do this step when I am going somewhere important and want my hair to look its best.

Step 4: Once a week

• I read this amazing blog about an woman from India who had beautiful shiny hair and she said she learned hair care from her mother and the generations in her family.  Her hair secret was Coconut Oil.  So I tried it and the results were wonderful.  
• Once per week I take my hair when it is slightly damp (if not from a shower then I spray it with a spray bottle) and I coat it in coconut oil.  I take the hair section by section and go from root to end so that the hair is completely saturated.  
• Then I put it in a bun on the top of my head, cover my pillow with a towel and go to sleep.  In the morning I wash my hair as stated above.  It may take 2 baking soda washes to get all the oil out, but it is worth it.

All women who are naturally minded, there really is no reason to not switch to this method.  Shampoo and conditioner is expensive and damaging to your hair and completely unnecessary!!  If you don't have the immediate results you are looking for play with some of the ingredients and amounts, but don't give up. 

For this week's Giveaway I want to challenge you to try one or more of the above steps and report on how it works for you.  The winner of this giveaway will receive a coconut oil and a lemon essential oil.  So sometime over the next week either try the baking soda wash, vinegar rinse, argan oil or coconut oil overnight and then post a comment letting us all know how it worked for you.  A blog comment will be worth 4 entries.  See the app below to see the ways you can gain one entry. a Rafflecopter giveaway